In many urban locations, parking is a significant inconvenience for drivers. Parking costs have soared. Parking zone are a maze of regulations. Perhaps most importantly, parking spots at prime locations and/or prime time period may be scarce. When human beings select parking spots, they are selfish. A driver may take up two parking spots in situations in which the vehicle could have made room for another vehicle. Small vehicles park in large parking spots in situations where smaller spots are available nearby.
A driver heading home, may park in a high demand spot in front of a business when residential parking spots are the same distance to the driver's home. There are no incentive for individual drivers to park in a manner that is most efficient for the entire parking community. Recent technologies such as autonomous vehicles and shared vehicles may provide opportunities for optimizing parking arrangements.